VMD Service Standards
This document details the service standards of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)
What you can expect from us
We offer a professional service to everyone we work with and are committed to improving the service you receive.
We aim to:
- get it right first time and on time – provide an efficient and high-quality service
- provide the right information – make our information clear and accessible
- work professionally and openly – see our self assessment on how we conform and comply with the Regulators’ Code
Our commitment to quality
The VMD is committed to being recognised worldwide as a centre of excellence for the provision of regulatory services and expertise for availability of safe and effective veterinary medicine.
We build quality into everything we do.
We will meet our published standards and targets, deliver a positive customer experience, and comply with our internal procedures as well as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 requirements.
We will continue to improve our services in a proportionate and cost-effective way by:
-
Putting our people first, promoting wellbeing, respect, inclusion, and empowerment, and developing the skills and capability needed to deliver high-quality services.
-
Fostering a strong culture of quality and improving how we work, reducing unnecessary burden, and encouraging innovation.
-
Strengthening partnerships and collaboration across the animal health and environmental sectors.
-
Working effectively across VMD Teams to deliver key priorities.
-
Setting and reviewing quality objectives through our business planning processes to drive continual improvement.
-
Complying with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.
Enquiries and requests for information
We aim to respond to general enquiries, complaints and Freedom of Information requests within 20 working days.
Sometimes we may need longer to respond, for example if you are asking for complex information or if we need to involve a third party. If we are unable to respond within these timescales, we will let you know.
We will consider requests for information in accordance with relevant provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2005, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Our regulatory work
Our published standards for regulatory work 2026/2027 sets out our timelines and performance categories for a range of key activities which include marketing authorisation applications, the recording and assessment of pharmacovigilance data, and inspection work.
We aim to:
- assist applicants by providing clear and accurate information on our authorisation procedures
- process applications in accordance with our timetables for national applications and those set by the EU for European applications in respect of Northern Ireland
- respond quickly to product defect reports
- conduct inspections of sites producing or supplying veterinary medicines and issue reports in a timely manner
We publish details of our performance against the published standards monthly.
Confidentiality and privacy
We will comply with legal requirements that relate to the confidentiality of any data or information you supply to us.
Your privacy is important to us and protected in law through the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Law Enforcement Directive. Our Personal Information Charter and Privacy Notices tell you how we process your personal data.
Engagement and feedback
We make available a range of opportunities for you to talk to us and provide feedback, including in person, virtually, or through surveys.
We aim to:
- hold an annual open event
- provide stakeholder groups opportunity to regularly meet us
- undertake regular surveys of users of our application related services
- appropriately consult on proposed changes to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations
- provide contact details within our guidance pages and service platforms
Complaints, commendations and appeals
We want you to tell us what you think so we can understand more about what’s important to you and how you want to work with us.
If you are pleased with our service or wish to thank an individual, tell us why why using our online contact form. We circulate details of plaudits to our staff regularly, so we would be very pleased to hear from you.
If we don’t get it right tell us how we could do better. If you need help making a complaint or further clarification on our complaints procedure you can contact us using our online contact form.
To appeal against a decision we have made, or intend to make, see our appeals procedure.
What we expect from you
Whether face to face, over the phone or in correspondence, we will be professional and fair when working with you. In return we ask you to respect our staff. We won’t tolerate threatening, abusive, or violent behaviour.
Should this occur, VMD staff can choose to refuse to engage with you and refer your case to VMD senior management for handling.
Updates to this page
-
Updated section 'Our commitment to quality'.
-
Updated to include the VMD's new online contact form.
-
Service standard for responding to general enquiries changed to 20 working days.
-
Updated section on Personal Information
-
First published.